The WPA experience was “the central stimulus for making sure that modern archaeological research is problem-oriented, results in processed and analyzed collections, and generates a final field report” (Neumann and Sanford 2001). Introduction of WPA archaeology led to the ability for the Federal government and academic archaeologists to interact on similar levels, which is still seen today in Cultural Resource Management. However, the WPA was not perfect. Concerns brought about by archaeologists included

Because the majority of workers under the WPA were not from archaeological backgrounds, work was developed to keep the unemployed at work, and the military personnel busy when they were not on duty.

Out of the WPA came vast improvements in the practice of archaeology. Professionalization has lead to requirements for archaeologists on both academic and agency fronts. A PhD is required in order to hold a professorship, and the minimum level of education and training deemed acceptable for practicing archaeology is a university degree at the bachelors lever or higher, as well as prior experience as a supervisor in the field. Because the archaeology of the past was poorly documented, work done under federal code requires a score of documentation, which can then be recalled later from the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO).

The WPA helped advance the process of discovery in America, and urged us to learn about our past and document it before destroying it. It paved the way for communication between the government and the archaeological community, and it put people to work during the depression.